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Florida
Streetcar Systems |
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Tampa |
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TECO
Line Streetcar System |
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Began
Operation: October, 2002 |
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Miles
of Line: 2.3 |
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Stations:
12 |
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Org:
transit agency + non-profit |
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Schedule:
daily |
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photo:
John Smatlak |
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Tampa's
2.3 mile TECO Line Streetcar System links downtown with numerous tourist attractions and remote
parking areas. The line serves the so-called 'visitors crescent' that
encompasses the Convention Center, Ice Palace, Garrison Seaport, Florida
Aquarium and the historic Ybor City district. The single-track line uses primarily segregated rights-of-way in city streets, with several
passing sidings installed to permit operation of up to eight cars at one
time. The line operates with "hard meets", and the location
of the meets depends upon the number of streetcars operating at any one
time. The line
carried 420,000 passengers in its first year of operation, about 20% over
projections. Ridership has remained over the 400,000 mark each year since. The
one-way cash fare is $2.00, with various discounts available, and a
$4.00 all-day pass.
According to the Tampa
Downtown Partnership, more than $800 million in new, privately
funded construction projects are recently completed, under construction,
or have been approved within two blocks of the streetcar line since its
inception. Many of these projects feature the
streetcar system in their marketing and advertising. Half the funding for construction of the
$31.5 million dollar system came from a federal TEA-21
grant, with the city and the Florida DOT also making substantial
contributions. To provide for ongoing funding, a unique partnership
was formed between Hillsborough Area Regional Transit (HART), the City of Tampa, and the local business
community.
The system is managed by Tampa Historic Streetcar, Inc. (THS), a
non-profit corporation created by an interlocal agreement between the City of Tampa and
HART to manage day-to-day operations and maintenance. HART was then retained under contract with THS to perform these functions. To do so, HART created a Streetcar Division under its Operations Department.
The THS board consists of seven City of Tampa
appointees and six HART appointees, whose mission statement is to
"offer a dynamic new component to Tampa's transportation system by providing attractive, reliable, comfortable, convenient and safe streetcar service to local residents and visitors
alike".
Revenue is generated from three primary sources; a
special assessment district comprising the area served by the streetcar;
an endowment fund fueled by private sector contributions for naming rights
of the system, and advertising and fares. The streetcar business plan calls for operation of the system without subsidy by HART or the City.
Annual
operating expenses are about $2.4 million. At the start of
operations, the endowment fund
had approximately $5 million earning a return and an additional $1.5
million in commitments. The naming rights
for the system were sold to the Tampa Electric Company for $1 million, and
the price tag for vehicle naming rights is $250,000. Naming rights for
stations are offered at between $75,000 and $150,000.
Equipment: Service
is provided with nine new double-truck
Birney replica cars built by the Gomaco Trolley company of Ida Grove, Iowa.
The cars utilize rebuilt running gear and other components from Gomaco's
inventory of former Milan streetcar parts. The cars are constructed with welded steel bodies,
although cosmetic rivets were added to provide a more appropriate appearance
up close. The interiors
feature such modern conveniences as air conditioning and automated stop
announcements. Each car has two wheelchair spaces, and stations feature
mini high-block platforms with folding ramps that are lowered into the open doorway
of a car when required by mobility-impaired passengers. In 2004, a
restored Birney Car from the original Tampa trolley system joined the
fleet, and in 2005 an open-air "Breezer" replica car was
added.
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Most
of the line's main north-south route is alongside
Channelside Drive. A cruise ship looms in the background as
a car approaches York St. |
The
alignment alongside Channelside Drive features several long
passing sidings. |
Traffic
Circle adjacent to the Cruise Ship Terminal and Aquarium. |
The
Channelside District as seen from one of the large parking
garages across the street. |
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Turning
onto 8th Ave. eastbound, the car is now in the Ybor City
historic district. |
Rolling
along 8th Ave. in Ybor City. The side of the road alignment
allowed a good portion of the historic brick street to be
retained. |
The
car has just turned off of 8th back onto 13th, approaching
the system's maintenance building. |
The
multi-story maintenance building blends in nicely with the
adjacent historic district. |
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Another
view of the maintenance building. A major hotel is being
built directly across the street. |
The
Tampa & Ybor City Street Railway Society has restored
original Tampa Birney car 163 to operating condition. |
Birney
163 provides an interesting contract to the ultra-modern
architecture of the Southern Transportation Plaza. |
Several
cars meet at the Central Ybor Station. |
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| 163
changing ends at the Ybor City terminus. |
163
passes a Gomaco replica at Channelside. |
A
lineup of cars at the Maintenance Yard. |
This
carbody is an original Tampa double-truck Birney (No. 402),
and the Street Railway Society has long-term plans to
restore this car as well. |
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John
Smatlak photos 
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News
& Updates (scroll down for latest updates):
December, 2000: The
December issue of Railway Age reports that Herzog Contracting Corp. is the
successful bidder on the $15.5 million line construction project for the
Tampa streetcar, encompassing trackwork and street reconstruction.
January, 2001: The Tampa & Ybor City Street Railway Society, Inc.
showcased its restored 1923 original Tampa Electric single truck "Birney"
streetcar # 163 in Ybor City for the weekend of Super Bowl - 2001. Car # 163
was displayed on Ninth Avenue in front of the Ybor City State Museum along with new sister car,
Gomaco replica # 430.
June, 2001: A bulletin
just issued by Tampa Historic Streetcar Inc. provides a nice overview of
construction in progress. It also highlights the growing economic
development surrounding the streetcar route (now estimated at $2 billion
dollars) as well as some of the attractions to be linked together by the
line. The bulletin provides the following schedule: February 2001-
construction began (a formal groundbreaking ceremony was held on March 20,
2001), February 2002- target date for construction completion, March-April
2002- system testing and startup, April 2002- begin revenue
service.
The bulletin also provides an update on building the
line's operating endowment, now reported to have grown to $6.25 million
towards a $10 million dollar goal. The naming rights for one of the
streetcars was sold for $250,000 and the naming rights for four of the
stations have been sold for sponsorships ranging between $75,000-$125,000.
Source- Tampa Historic Streetcar Inc.
 August,
2001: The Gomaco bulletin board had this very nice picture of one
of the new cars en route to Tampa on board a highway trailer. Click on
photo to enlarge.
March
2002: Jim Schantz has posted a series of construction
photos, taken in February 2002, to the Tampa
page on the APTA Heritage Trolley site.
May
2002: An official date has been set for the inaugural of
the new TECO Streetcar Line, October 19-20, 2002. In addition, the
TECO Line now has its own web
site.
October
2002: Opening of the line took place as scheduled over the weekend of
October 19-20. David Pinero recently posted a series of photos
and captions on the new line as seen the weekend before
operations were to begin.
December
2002: The APTA Heritage Trolley Task Force met in Tampa on
December 6-7. which provided an excellent opportunity to tour the
new line. The photos below provide a complete trip over the line.
John
Smatlak photos
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Heading
down 8th Ave. approaching Centro Ybor station.
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At
the Centro Ybor station, a view from the pedestrian overpass
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A
great deal of new commercial development is centered around the
Centro Ybor station
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The
streetcars blend in very nicely with the pedestrian-intensive
environment at Centro Ybor.
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Continuing down 8th Ave. approaching
16th.
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While
the trolley tracks are new, 8th Ave. retains its historic brick
paving.
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Turning
off 8th Ave. onto 13th, approaching the Cadrecha Plaza Station.
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A passing
siding is located in front of the streetcar shop facility on
13th, just below the Cadrecha Plaza Station.
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The
impressive new shop facility blends in well with its historic
surroundings.
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Crossing
the CSX Railroad tracks. The railroad required the interlocking to
be manned.
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At
4th Ave., with the CSX interlocking and the historic Florida
Brewery in the background.
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Alongside
Channelside Dr. at the Port Authority station.
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Swinging
around the traffic circle in front of the Cruise Ship Terminal.
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Channelside
Dr. swings around and passes through the expanding development
around the Cruise Ship Terminal.
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Crossing
Meridian Ave., past the Beneficial Drive Station.
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Turning off
Channelside heading towards the St. Pete Times Forum.
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The
temporary end of the line alongside the St. Pete Times Forum. The
Southern Transportation Plaza will be the end of the line for
phase one when construction is completed.
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The
Southern Transportation Plaza is adjacent to the new Marriot
Waterside and the Convention Center.
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Boarding
a car for the return trip.
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HartLine
Executive Director Sharon Dent talks with members of APTA's
Heritage Trolley Task Force.
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The shop
facility features an indoor loop, moving cars
through a wash rack before exiting.
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The
building features two pit tracks, both with catwalks for
roof access.
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Roof
access is available via fold-down catwalks. Air conditioning units
are on the car's roof.
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Twilight at Channelside
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John
Smatlak photos
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February
2003:
Southern Transportation Plaza Opens On January 30,
the $13.5 million, glass-domed transportation plaza was officially
opened. The facility is the western end of the new streetcar line,
adjacent to the Marriot Waterside hotel and the Tampa Convention
Center. Since opening in October, the streetcar line had been
temporarily using the next station up the line as a terminus.
David Pinero's TampaRail.org
website provided excellent coverage of the event, including
these fine photographs.
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Photos
from David Pinero's TampaRail.org
Southern
Transportation Plaza, Marriot Waterside hotel in background
November
2003: An article
in the October 20, 2003 Tampa Tribune reported that the system
carried 420,000 riders in its first year of operation, 20% over
expectations. Congratulations to all at HART
on their successful first year! In other Tampa Trolley news,
HART has exercised an option with the Gomaco Trolley Company for
the purchase of a ninth car.
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August
2004:
Prior to the APTA Light Rail Conference in Miami in June, I spent
several days in Tampa, (see photos below) . I was fortunate enough
to be on hand for testing of the Tampa & Ybor City Street
Railway Society's restored original single-truck Birney Car. The
group hopes to have the car available for special operations in
the near future.
The system is doing
very well, and planning continues towards extension of the line at
the Downtown end. Development also continues at a frenzied
pace adjacent to the system. As of late July, a permanent solution
also appears to have been worked out to streamline the process of
trolleys crossing the CSX interlocking, eliminating the need for
the crossing watchman and TECO supervisor. Finally, for those
readers interested in a detailed insight into the line's finances,
their official website includes a link to the Tampa
Historic Streetcar's 2003 financial statements.
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December
2004:
The public debut of the Tampa & Ybor City Street
Railway Society's restored original single-truck Birney Car No.
163 took place on October 16 as part of the line's two-year
anniversary celebration. In December, the Gomaco Trolley Company's
replica "open car" arrived in Tampa for evaluation for
possible purchase or lease. In other news, the city council on Sept. 24 passed a resolution calling for an extension of the TECO Line Streetcar north to Whiting Street and asking for financial help from the federal government, although a specific amount wasn’t mentioned.
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| Photo: Hartline |
Photo:
Bob and Janice Pickering |
Photo:
Eric Sitiko |
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March
2006:
Ridership for the system's third year of operation (ending
October 2005) was 434,000. On New Year's Eve 2005, the system
pressed all nine cars into service and carried 10,500 riders. The system also continues to aggressively pursue advertising revenue, with three cars now
fitted with lighted advertising sings on their roofs. The
open-air "Breezer" car features an all-over advertising
scheme as seen in the pictures below.
In 2005 the system
also took delivery of a 9th replica
car from Gomaco. Car 436 features several upgrades from the
original group of 8 cars, including a deadman feature, folding
steps, and a "door brake" feature that automatically
makes a brake application whenever the doors are opened.
Development
continues to sprout up adjacent to the line. According to the
Tampa Downtown Partner ship, more than $800 million in new,
privately funded construction projects are recently completed,
under construction, or have been approved within two blocks of
the streetcar line since its inception. Despite the
quantifiable economic impact and respectable ridership numbers, the streetcar found
itself in a media controversy in early 2006 over operating
costs and HARTline's operation of the system. A 3/10/06
article in the South Tampa City Times provides some
interesting local perspective on the system.
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| Breezer
car fitted with full advertising. |
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| Breezer
at Centro Ybor |
Unloading
car 436 at the maintenance facility. Note the new
Hampton Inn in the background. |
Advertising-equipped
cars |
New
car 436 is fitted with folding steps and other
improvements. |
| Photos
provided by Eric Sitiko
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November
2006:
Bay area residents came out in force to celebrate the fourth anniversary of the TECO Line Streetcar System on
Saturday, October 14, taking a total of 10,141 rides during the In-Town Tampa Guide and Map Streetcar Fest.
The final total far outpaced last year’s ridership of 6,084 for the event.
Streetcar Fest offered riders a chance to jump on the streetcar for only 5 cents from 9 a.m. to 2 a.m. Restaurants and attractions from Ybor City to Channelside to Hyde Park joined in the fun with special discounts and events for streetcar riders.
Source- HARTline press release
In other
news, in September, the HART board approved a
consulting contract to formally study the long-proposed
.3 mile line extension into Downtown. The scope of work includes an environmental assessment and engineering services that will determine the purpose, need and feasibility of the project.
Source- Rail Transit On Line
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Current
end-of-line on Franklin Street, starting point for the
new line extension. John Smatlak photo
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October
2007:
October 2007 marks the 5th Birthday of the TECO Line
streetcar system. The event will be celebrated at
Streetcar Fest on October 13th, featuring nickel
streetcar rides and entertainment.
For the
year ending September 2007, the system set another new
ridership record, carrying 437,611 passengers. In
other system news, a feasibility study has been
completed for the long planned 0.3 mile extension into
the heart of Downtown Tampa. The project has been
approved by the Tampa City Council, and is now working
its way through the Federal approval and environmental
processes. The Tampa
Rail blog carried an informative set of pictures
on the proposed extension plans.
The new
line extension will run up Franklin Street from the
existing end-of-line, bringing trolley service
directly into the downtown employment center. Although
work trips do not currently account for a major
portion of the line's ridership, that could change once the extension is
complete in 2010. It's estimated that 7,500 people should be living downtown and in the Channel District by
2010, so adding early morning service could thus tap
into a new ridership base. Future plans call for the
line to run through the north end of downtown to Ybor, forming a loop
system with a dramatically increased service
area.
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October
2007:
The October 13th Streetcar Fest celebration set a new one-day
ridership record for the system, when over 13,000 people were
carried. Tampa residents like their streetcars!
In other Tampa news,
the TECO Line Streetcar will host a meeting of the APTA
Heritage Trolley & Streetcar Subcommittee on November 30 -
December 1.
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Fest 2007, photos courtesy of HARTline
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Links:
Official
TECO Line Streetcar web site
Streetcar
coverage on TampaRail web site
Tampa
Coverage on TransAct TEA21 site
Tampa
page on the APTA Heritage Trolley site
TECO
streetcar line web page
This
page was last updated on 9/22/08
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